WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Richard Lugar, a senior Republican and a reliable vote for President Bush on the war, said Monday that Bush's Iraq strategy was not working and that the U.S. should downsize the military's role.

The unusually blunt assessment deals a political blow to Bush, who has relied heavily on GOP support to stave off anti-war legislation.

It also comes as a surprise. Most Republicans have said they were willing to wait until September to see if Bush's recently ordered troop buildup in Iraq was working.

"In my judgment, the costs and risks of continuing down the current path outweigh the potential benefits that might be achieved," Lugar, R-Ind., said in a Senate floor speech. "Persisting indefinitely with the surge strategy will delay policy adjustments that have a better chance of protecting our vital interests over the long term."

Only a few Republicans have broken ranks and called for a change in course or embraced Democratic proposals ordering troops home by a certain date. As the top Republican and former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Lugar's critique could provide political cover for more Republicans wanting to challenge Bush on the war.

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"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

Two more Republican senators have gone public with their dissatisfaction with President Bush's Iraq war strategy, but the White House still doesn't view the internecine feuding during wartime as a "hemorrhaging of support," since hardly any GOP lawmakers have aligned with Democrats to call for an immediate troop withdrawal.

Too bad there isn't a mass "bleeding out" of support for Bush's war among these Senators.Why can't they just get on with it and simply say the war is lost, the surge isn't working, and that the Bush admin has no credibility left at all...not that it ever had much to begin with, especially where this war is concerned.

_________________

"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

It would be interesting to find out if these senators are in closely contested states and worried that if they continue to support the lame duck they'll risk losing their tenure.

Another situation where the rats are deserting the sinking ship? Distance themselves from an unpopular policy to save themselves? Once the election is over it will be back to Business as usual- screwing the people- and loving it!!!

_________________Completely sane world
madness the only freedom

An ability to see both sides of a question
one of the marks of a mature mind

Smith is known for a speech last December in which he stated, "I, for one, am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up by the same bombs day after day. That is absurd. It may even be criminal."

Smith told Fox, "If I could do anything over, I would – in that speech I gave – I would replace the word 'criminal' with the word 'insane.'" He suggested that the "surge" might have had a chance of working four years ago, but said, "On my numerous visits to Iraq ... each time I go, the government seems more and more dysfunctional. And all we're doing is depending on them to step up and govern."

Smith went on to explain the legislation he is sponsoring, saying, "There's nothing in this amendment that says we withdraw from the war on terror." When Fox host Shepard Smith pressed him on whether there might be a civil war in Iraq that is indistinguishable from the war on terror, the senator denied both points. "It may become a full-blown civil war," he acknowledged, "but the point is, it's not ours, it's theirs. It's not something we can win. ... I'm just tired of American kids dying for that."

You're wrong, Senator...it is OURS. All of you in the Congress who voted to give the moron-in-chief dictatorial powers and allowed him to invade Iraq in 2003 are responsible for every death in Iraq that is war-connected. If civil war breaks out, you're responsible for that, too. Bringing the troops home now is the only way recovery can begin...both at home and in Iraq.

_________________

"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

The U.S. military’s top general said Monday that the Joint Chiefs of Staff is weighing a range of possible new directions in Iraq, including, if President Bush deems it necessary, an even bigger troop buildup.